Apply Fills in Photoshop Elements – Instructions

Apply Fills in Photoshop Elements: Overview

            You can apply fills in Photoshop Elements to fill selections and layers you create with colors, gradients and patterns. One of the most common fills is filling the currently selected background or foreground color into a selection. To do this, select the desired background and foreground colors. Then use one of the selection tools to select the area to fill. If you do not make a selection, you will instead fill-in the entire selected layer.

            To quickly apply the foreground color, press both the “Alt” + “Delete” keys at the same time on your keyboard. To quickly apply the background color, instead, press the “Ctrl” + “Delete” keys on your keyboard.

            Another way to apply fills in Photoshop Elements is to select “Edit| Fill Selection…” from the Menu Bar, instead. This gives you more options for creating a fill by using the “Fill Layer” dialog box. In this dialog box, select what to use as the fill content from the “Use:” drop-down in the “Contents” section. Choices include the “Foreground Color” and the “Background Color.”

Apply Fills in Photoshop Elements – Instructions: A picture of the “Fill Layer” dialog box in Photoshop Elements.

            You can also select the “Color…” option. Doing this then launches the “Color Picker” dialog box where you can select a new fill color to use. You can also select a “Pattern” to insert instead of a color. If you select “Pattern,” then choose the pattern to apply from the “Custom Pattern” drop-down in the “Contents” section.

            You can also select “Black,” White,” or “50% Gray” from the “Use” drop-down menu to apply them, too. You can select the “Content-Aware” choice to let Photoshop Elements attempt to fill-in the selection with image content. This is useful for removing blemishes, or unusual elements, from an image. It can also help to quickly fill-in empty canvas areas within images that have a consistent background pattern.

            In the “Blending” section, select a blending mode for the fill from the “Mode” drop-down menu. You can also set the opacity percentage of the fill by typing it into the “Opacity” field. To preserve transparent pixels, if needed, check the “Preserve Transparency” checkbox, if available. When you are ready to apply the selected fill, click the “OK” button.

Apply Fills in Photoshop Elements: Instructions

1. To apply fills in Photoshop Elements, select the desired background and foreground colors you want for your fill colors.
2. Use one of the selection tools to select the area you want to fill.
3. If you do not make a selection, you will instead fill the entire currently selected layer.
4. To apply the foreground color, press “Alt” + “Delete” on your keyboard.
5. To apply the background color, press “Ctrl” + “Delete” on your keyboard.
6. If you want to apply a fill using the “Fill Layer” dialog box, instead, select “Edit| Fill Selection…” from the Menu Bar.
7. In the “Fill Layer” dialog box, select what you want to use as the fill content from the “Use:” drop-down in the “Contents” section.
8. Choices include the “Foreground Color” and the “Background Color.”
9. To select a new fill color to use, select the “Color…” option to launch the “Color Picker” dialog box.
10. To apply a pattern from the “Custom Pattern” drop-down in the “Contents” section, select the “Pattern” choice.
11. You can also select “Black,” White,” or “50% Gray” from the “Use” drop-down menu to apply them, too.
12. To let Photoshop Elements attempt to fill-in the selection with image content, select the “Content-Aware” choice.
13. In the “Blending” section, select a blending mode for the fill from the “Mode” drop-down menu.
14. To set the opacity percentage of the fill, type the desired percentage into the “Opacity” field.
15. If needed, you can preserve transparent pixels by checking the “Preserve Transparency” checkbox, if available.
16. To apply the selected fill, click the “OK” button.

Apply Fills in Photoshop Elements: Video Lesson

            The following video lesson is titled “Applying Fills.” This video lesson shows you how to apply fills in Photoshop Elements. This video lesson is from our complete Photoshop Elements tutorial, titled “Mastering Photoshop Elements Made Easy v.2019.”